Sander Haagmans of slacker jam band The Whims of the Great Magnet takes us through his musical landscape—a terrain marked by improvisational jams, philosophical musings, and a profound appreciation for the art of truly listening.

 

In the kitchen of his home in Gronsveld, nestled in the southern Netherlands, Sander Haagmans embodies the spirit of a modern-day musical wanderer. A guitar teacher, musician, and philosophical explorer, Haagmans approaches life with the same improvisational spirit he brings to music—open, unstructured, and always ready to embrace the unexpected.

Drawing inspiration from counterculture icons like Tom Wolfe and the wandering musicians of the past, Haagmans sees music and consciousness as interconnected journeys. Whether teaching guitar, jamming with his band, or exploring the nuanced relationship between music and cannabis, he lives by the mantra of being present, of listening deeply, and of finding beauty in the undefined moments of life.

 

Hey Sander, where are you now?

Sander Haagmans: Here. At least I try to be. Be where you are. Simple things are not always easy. This question brings up other questions for me. Like "How are you here now?” These are cool questions to ask yourself or someone else.

  

What do you do with your time?

SH: I wander around and sometimes accidentally come to a point or have a good idea. To get back to the previous question: I am at home in Gronsveld, near Maastricht in the south of the Netherlands. I'm in the kitchen now. For the rest, I spend time with my family, hang in the garden or garden house, and make music, preferably with my band. But there are a lot of possibilities, really. I teach guitar to make a living. I feel that teaching is sort of my duty. It's something I can do (for others). It's amazing when I get to do that with my music.

"Put your good where it will do the most!" wrote Tom Wolfe in The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. But lines like this one from Tom Wolfe keep me thinking. And sometimes they even get me somewhere. I think it's beautiful. By the way, do you also know that feeling that even though you don't understand something, you still think that it's beautiful?

  

Do you get high when listening to music?

SH: There must be somebody else who also saw that this question has possibilities. Interpretations and all. Because music can make you high already. So if you get high and then music also makes you high, you have a double high. High five! And it's more than just a sum. It's a magical formula that creates endless possibilities but also boils down to one answer. So yes, I do sometimes.

  

Describe a typical music-weed session (bong, joint, dab, headphones, turntable):

SH: Many options. But I like to vape. Then listen to some music. And open my sketchbook. I write more than I draw. And I listen more now than I play. I try to do that too in a jam. But there's still a lot to learn. I thought it was fun when Phil Lesh in an interview said: "You gotta listen, listen, listen, listen and then listen some more." I like cassette tapes too. Coo coo ca choo.

Best sessions are those where you discover, connect, share, and invent, and come to realize it's all one love. It doesn't matter how you get there. There's nothing typical about it. It can be anything and everything.

  

What is your earliest memory of connecting the dots between music and cannabis? 

SH: Oh man, it's so hard sometimes to give a straight and simple answer. I think anyone who gets high and then listens to some music will connect the dots unavoidably. I think I was in my late teens. And we were listening to all sorts of things. Like the sound of a shisha. We were all young. And I had a bong that I did not clean too often. But that was a long time ago. 

I think that it got to a deeper connection by the time I was in my thirties or so. Maybe not deeper. But just a little less party. And more soulful or something. I'm glad that it's always evolving. You never have to go back. 

By the way, that's the biggest attraction of improvisational music, I think. But I can't deny that I like a good chorus too. I'm just embracing the jam whenever it's there. When a jam is good, it's warm and fresh, and it feels like a journey and home at the same time. Into the unknown you feel right at home. I guess I like that groove.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Garcia Peoples

False Company

PLAY LOUD! LISTEN! Man, these guys can jam. And it's always good to have a flute on the first track and dive right in!

 

 

 

 

The Flying Burrito Brothers

Lazy Days

Still warming up. From my favorite record that I discovered this year, "Burrito Deluxe". It's crazy, lazy good. 

 

 

 

 

Poco

You Better Think Twice

Get up and dance, people. Or dance on your chair. Did you ever try that?

 

 

 

 

Billy Strings

Leaning on a Travelin' Song

I could have picked MORBUD4ME from this new Billy Strings record. But that would be a bit too obvious, right? No, who am I kidding? I picked this one because I think it's really great! Make sure you don't miss the guitar solo in the last quarter of the song. It's not just the technical fast stuff—the groove in good bluegrass music is far out. Isn't instrumental bluegrass (which this is not, since it has vocals) just like cowboy jazz? Billy Strings posted an album by the David Grisman Quintet, "Live At The Gamh 1979". I've been diving into that too. Man…

 

 

 

The Flying Burrito Brothers

Why Are You Crying

I'm really just a big softie. Listen, people, listen!

 

 

 

 

 

Grateful Dead

Here Comes Sunshine (Live at Curtis Hixon Convention Center, Tampa, FL, December 19, 1973)

Ok, now make yourself comfortable. You know, I like to make playlists. It's an addiction. But it's alright. Anyway, I always have trouble adding a Dead song to a mixtape. I'm trying to get my head around why that is. We can all agree that it stands alone. Funny story: I messaged Dick Latvata's wife accidentally. But I'm gonna have to tell that another time, because I want to keep it a bit short here. And I want to listen to the song now. This jam is not funny anymore. Terrible thing to say about a band that is about fun. Thanks Jerry, Phil, Bobby, Bill, and Keith (Donna was credited in this album as "giving birth").

 

 

 

Chet Atkins, Jerry Reed

Limehouse Blues

I think this was my favorite record in 2023. When you're into guitars, check this album out. There is such a funny letter on the back of the album cover where Jerry Reed writes about Chet Atkins. We should do stuff like this more on album covers.

 

 

 

Ry Cooder

Cherry Ball Blues

Completely crazy drums here. This could easily be one of my favorite drum tracks ever! It's Jim Keltner on drums. I mean, I love Bonham and Grohl too and all. But dig into this feel. And don't get me started about Ry Cooder.

 

 

 

The Beach Boys

Feel Flows

This is songwriting. Why choose between jam and song when you can have both? Hey, there's the flute again! Feel flows. Funny fact: A friend told me this record was recorded in the Netherlands.

 

 

 

Neil Young

I've Been Waiting for You

I have to admit I'm a bit distracted by the fact that the word "for" in the title here is not capitalized. But it all doesn't matter anymore when I listen to this song that is spelled with almost only capital letters at the beginning of the words. Isn't it great? Neil is still alive and kicking! I kind of rediscovered his first album. Such a treat when you get to go there again. "Such a long time now…" What a dude…

 

 

 

Rainbowstar Sunshine

Patience, Coffee, Sugar

What a dude… I love WEEED and the two or three solo records that I know came out of WEEED are just amazing! Mitch Fosnaugh (Rainbowstar Sunshine) and Gabrieal Seaver make far out stuff. Lalalalalalalaaaaaaa

 

 

 

Rose City Band

Garden Song

So glad that I found out about Rose City Band. Sometimes I need a little proof, just a push… to realize that good jams are not only in the past. Go ahead and sink into the couch. Make sure you keep the volume up. And go see them live.

 

 

 

Karen Dalton

Something on Your Mind

Did I get this song from Heads Lifestyle? I think so. Love it.

 

 

 

 

 

PACKS

89 Days

I got this track and the next one from my buddy from another muddy: Arthur von Berg, who also plays guitar in my band now and who does a lot of other stuff too. He's just like me, only he's completely different. He also likes to investigate the meaning of 'far out' every now and then. PACKS is nice. It drags real good. It's nice to slow dance on a rug to this song. Those acoustic guitars!    

 

 

 

@

Letters

I bought this record for Eva, my lovely wife, but I listened more to it myself. Not that it's a competition. It's music. It's everything. It's love.

 

 

 

 

The Breeders

London Song

I like Kim Deal. It would be cool to go with her to a theme park. Even though I'm not sure why. The stops at the end of the song always remind me of a Kyuss song. Can you connect the dots between these two bands? If it's all one, the dots are floating somewhere inside a big bubble probably.

 

 

 

Richard & Linda Thompson

I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight

Get up and dance again! Or not. This is some groove. I have always been deeply fascinated by good grooves. Bad ones can work too. But the good ones are the ones I like the most, to be honest. I dig folk like this and Fairport.

 

 

 

Personal Trainer

Still Willing

Great Dutch band. The sounds in the recording are awesome. It's a beautiful mix of room and close sounds. "I am still willing". Stay willing everyone! And stay high! Not necessarily with the use of substances. But if you're at a festival, or a show, or having an amazing time with people at whatever church you like to attend, you create this beautiful thing together, right? Now wouldn't it be nice if we all take some of this high home and use it in daily life? Or if your magic happens at home, why not take it outside too? Keep it up.

 

 

 

The Hard Quartet

Gripping the Riptide

Ok. There we are. This is like the end scene. Credits are coming after this. Man, I love Stephen Malkmus, who's in this new band. I got a lot from him. When he sang "We lived on Tennyson and venison and The Grateful Dead" in the song *Lariat*, I actually checked out the Grateful Dead again. And that time I checked in. It's funny. There's no link for many people probably. But for me they are family. Even though they're complete unique animals. Tigers. They're on their own. Needless to say, it's not just Malkmus in this quartet. Their band is, I think, amazingly, unpretentiously good. Did he just sing "I don't need you wrestling with my high"?

 

 

 

David Crosby

Kids And Dogs

This can put things into perspective. Here are David Crosby & Jerry Garcia, ladies and gentlemen. End credits really can do that. I mostly like to stay and sit till all the credits have rolled by. Unless it was a shitty movie. And even if it was, you sometimes still want to stay where you are.

 

 

 

BIO

The Whims of the Great Magnet is a band from the south of the Netherlands. Founded in 2012 by Sander Haagmans, the project has evolved through several iterations, functioning both as a solo outlet and a full-band lineup. Currently, the band consists of Haagmans (guitar, vocals), Arthur von Berg (guitar, synth, vocals), David Eering (bass, vocals), and Jonathan Frederix (drums).

Their music now inhabits a space between psychedelic rock and slacker indie rock, characterized by a summery, lo-fi, laid-back atmosphere. Live performances feature extensive jamming, drawing inspiration from the improvisational philosophies of the Grateful Dead and Rose City Band. They push their whimsical, catchy songs to their most expansive limits.

  

 

The Whims of the Great Magnet's new album Frydom is available on cassette and digital platforms Dec. 21st 2024 via Bandcamp.

 

 

 

More about The Whims of the Great Magnet here

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